1
as in curious
interested in what is not one's own business
as we moved into our new home, we could sense that there were prying eyes watching us
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in busy
thrusting oneself where one is not welcome or invited
prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in questioning
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1
as in pulling
to raise, move, or pull apart with or as if with a lever
it took some effort to pry up the trap door
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2
as in yanking
to draw out by force or with effort
a vain attempt to pry the cork out of a wine bottle
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as in interfering
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
don't go prying into other people's business
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prying
Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2023
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying — and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
The Google Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smart display with no camera (and therefore no risk of unwanted prying eyes).
—Brenda Stolyar and Medea Giordano, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2022
To my mind, however, there’s a difference between a Google or a Facebook, which provide valuable services in return for their prying eyes, and an app that serves a single, ostensibly benign purpose — parking validation.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it.
—Jane Li, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2019
Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers.
—Eoin O'Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2017
One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes.
—Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, 11 May 2017
Adjective
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying -- and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2023
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying — and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
The Google Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smart display with no camera (and therefore no risk of unwanted prying eyes).
—Brenda Stolyar and Medea Giordano, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2022
To my mind, however, there’s a difference between a Google or a Facebook, which provide valuable services in return for their prying eyes, and an app that serves a single, ostensibly benign purpose — parking validation.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it.
—Jane Li, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2019
Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers.
—Eoin O'Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2017
One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes.
—Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, 11 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prying
Adjective
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Some were actors looking for something to do (including Jen Cohn, a voice actor in Overwatch and Grand Theft Auto V) and others were curious about performing Shakespeare for the first time.—
Barry Levitt,
TIME,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Thirty years after a Los Angeles jury found O.J. Simpson not guilty of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, the case is still being poked and prodded under the microscope of curious filmmakers.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Zoom in: In December, Indianapolis International Airport announced that more than 10 million people traveled through the airport in 2024, a new record. More than 2.8 million people flew through the Indy airport in June, July and August, marking the busiest summer in the airport's history.—
Justin L. Mack,
Axios,
22 Jan. 2025
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And the 2025 awards ceremony could turn out to be a pretty busy night for him: Noah is also serving as a producer for the show, and could potentially need to get up and give an acceptance speech as one of this year’s nominees.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Indeed, local news in particular has proven to be a critical piece of infrastructure, providing up-to-the-minute evacuation orders, live video of fast-moving fires and tough questioning of officials during press conferences.—
Alex Weprin,
The Hollywood Reporter,
18 Jan. 2025
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The Quiz Former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week for questioning as part of her confirmation process for U.S. attorney general in the Trump Administration.—
Maggie McGrath,
Forbes,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The principal investigators and students were smart and inquisitive, their labs had expertise in building things, and everyone was genuinely curious about the experiments being designed and performed.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
25 Nov. 2024
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Max is frantic and inquisitive, peppering Avery with questions and clinically presenting the possible scenarios; Tristan remains calm and collected, downplaying the situation while expressing aloof support.—
Claire Franken,
TVLine,
21 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Except, Zhu doesn’t do anything all that interesting with this interrogation, other than briefly hinting at and abandoning it.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2025
-
In 2016, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that her rights had been violated during her interrogation, the AP reports.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Lowering the boom on a local school board for failing to adhere to intrusive progressive mandates that are contrary to the best interest of its students would not be a good look for someone wishing to be president.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Jan. 2025
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That puts a heavy burden on sound designers P.K. Hooker and Will Files, whose intrusive mix of creepy noises is often indistinguishable from Benjamin Wallfisch’s discordant score.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The government has ordered a public inquiry, saying there were grave questions to answer.—
Reuters,
CNN,
23 Jan. 2025
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Spokespeople for Virginia, Virginia Tech, VCU and Old Dominion either declined comment or did not respond to email inquiries.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Top Ten Loudest States in The U.S. New Jersey Massachusetts Pennsylvania Florida Rhode Island Delaware Maryland Illinois Colorado Connecticut New England states appeared to be the loudest as a region, accounting for six out of the ten nosiest on the list.—
Stephan Pechdimaldji,
Newsweek,
13 Dec. 2024
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That, however, does little to dissuade nosy friends and family members from firing off intrusive questions.—
Angela Haupt,
TIME,
20 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near prying
Cite this Entry
“Prying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prying. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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